


I'm coming home

by RedRaidingHood



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Tumblr Prompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-30
Updated: 2014-06-30
Packaged: 2018-02-06 20:49:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1871991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedRaidingHood/pseuds/RedRaidingHood
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jason has learned about Maria di Angelo's death. He can't face Nico anymore, thinking he'd hurt his friend, always reminding him of his mother's murderer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'm coming home

**Author's Note:**

> This was another request from the wonderful a-crazy-shipper on tumblr.  
> She wanted Jason to find out about Zeus killing Maria, and thus feeling bad and unable to face Nico, until the younger finally can't take it anymore and confronts him about his strange behaviour.  
> I really hope you like it!

The sheets smelled a little mouldy and the air was stale. He would have to open the windows and doors later, but right now, Nico only hugged the pillow exhausted. Work for his father was draining, but living on the road was fun – even if most fun about it was coming home, knowing there was someone waiting for him. He smiled. In the morning, Jason would know he was back, even before Nico was awake. The older would wake him with a warm hug and bring him brownies and try to beat him at Mythomagic and all the while, they would talk about all those insignificant things. It was a nice thought to fall asleep to.

Nico stretched, struggling a little against his blanket, kicking it off the bed in the process. Sleeping on a mattress after days of searching for the safest, driest and softest spot on the ground was awesome. His spine cracked when he arched his back and he laughed. Jason would be peeved he’d already be awake the moment the older tried to sneak into the cabin. It was kind of cold without the blanket though. Nico rubbed the sleep from his eyes blinking and wondered whether it was worth to grab for it, when someone knocked on the door.

He blinked again, one arm thrown over his forehead. Jason wouldn’t normally knock in the morning; he always hoped to get Nico still sleeping.

The knocking came again, this time accompanied by Grover’s unmistakable voice. “Hey Nico, you still in there?”

Nico threw his legs off the bed groaning. He didn’t really want to deal with the satyr in the morning, but at least he wouldn’t need to decide about his blanket anymore. “Coming,” he yawned grumpily and finally stood up.

Grover obviously didn’t like waking the son of Hades, and his efforts weren’t actually appreciated either. “What do you want?” Nico snapped.

“It’s lunchtime,” Grover explained. “Chiron said to ask whether you need help with something. So there. Just doing my job, no need to bleat at me.”

Nico frowned. “Right. Don’t need anything.” He turned around and closed the door, not even waiting for a response and ignoring the indignant shouts outside. Jason hadn’t come to wake him. He’d let him sleep in, probably thought Nico was too knackered or something. Still, it was a little disappointing.

His wardrobe was stacked with nothing but orange Camp Half-Blood shirts, but he didn’t really have a choice. Snarling, Nico pulled his worn-out aviator jacket over the shirt to to hide the offending colour a little, before strapping on his sword habitually and leaving for the pavilion.

The other campers were loud as always, offering food to their parents and laughing; generally having fun and all that usual clutter. Nico didn’t really have the nerve for it.

Jason sat at his table, poking at his food, his eyes downcast; when Nico saw him, his heart skipped a beat and a smile started to tug at his lips. He tried not to quicken his pace, but it still took him only a few more steps to get to Jason’s side, his arms behind his back.

“Hey, Jason,” he greeted happily. Finally he could come home properly, spending time with his friend and feeling whole and wanted again.

Jason startled, obviously too deep in thought to have noticed Nico’s arrival. “Oh, hey Nico,” he sputtered, looking at the boy wide-eyed. “I didn’t know you were back.”

“I noticed,” Nico answered, sitting down beside him, against all customs.

“Yeah, um, sorry ‘bout that.” Jason’s voice was strained, his eyes darting all over the place. He didn’t really seem to pay attention, like he was still somewhere else with his thoughts. Maybe something had happened while Nico was away. It must’ve been something major if it worried Jason this much. Nico gulped. Jason was his best friend, his only friend and now more than anything, he needed Nico’s support. He clenched his fist, leaning towards Jason on the table. “Is something wrong? Can I help you, Jason?”

He was concerned, really, and Jason did look anything but good; his lips were a thin line, his eyes everywhere but on Nico, and his whole posture slouched. It was disheartening seeing the ex-praetor like this.

“No, no. Nothing’s wrong,” Jason said. “I just… need to speak to Leo. While he’s here. And not back at the bunker. Right.” He stood up, his hand lingering for a moment on the table and just for that moment, their eyes met and Nico’s confusion heightened. Jason looked so sad, so afraid and insecure. He was lying. Something was wrong. Definitely. But Jason already went to stalk off.

Nico blinked. Blinked a few times to keep his tears from spilling. It was unfair how betrayed he felt and he knew it. He had no right to be angry with Jason, the other obviously had problems of his own and as his friend, Nico should support him, help him, rather than grit his teeth and clench his fists like a disappointed child.

He wasn’t hungry anymore. Not that he’d really hoped for brownies or anything stupid like that. Nico slouched on the table, laying his head on his crossed arms and observed Jason’s awkward flight to the Hephaestus kids. He was speaking with Leo alright, but he glanced back over his shoulder guiltily, spinning back around the moment he noticed Nico watching him, which made Nico think.

If Jason had a problem this big, of course he would only want to talk to his best friend about it. And his best friend was Leo, not Nico. Jason had more than just one friend, Jason was popular and well-liked and a really, really great person. And now Nico made everything worse by making the poor guy feel guilty about not talking to his charity-case. He buried his face in his arms groaning. This kind of thinking wasn’t doing any good at all. Behind the cover of his own body, he bit the fabric of his sleeve firmly. He wasn’t going to cry. He wasn’t going to admit his dependence on Jason, on his words, his touch, his presence.

-

Jason wanted to scream. Or put his own head into a door frame and make someone slam that stupid door as hard as they could. He just couldn’t face Nico like that. Not when every time he saw his friend, he was reminded of the fact, that his own father had tried to kill Nico and was responsible for the death of his mother. Jason didn’t remember his own mother, but he knew – and had known even before Hazel told him about Maria di Angelo – how much Nico missed his mom. Had it not been for that slight slip of the tongue, Jason would’ve probably never known about that part of Nico’s past though; or about how it involved Zeus.

“Really, Superman, you should just talk to him.” Great. Supportive Leo suggesting just the one thing Jason couldn’t do. “I mean, look at him. You can’t avoid him forever.” He stuffed his face with food. “Well, you could, but you know what happens to a machine if you don’t change its oil?”

“Leo, I don’t really have the nerve for this,” Jason hissed between gritted teeth. He didn’t want to look back again either. Nico had seemed so heartbroken when he’d left him at the table, but Jason still didn’t know how to handle this horrible piece of information Hazel slipped him. He sincerely regretted inquiring about Nico’s age…

“Well, then don’t. Honestly, Jason, you’re being strange about whatever it is you’re being strange about.” Leo shrugged. “I can’t really help you if you won’t tell me.”

Jason took a deep breath. Of course he couldn’t tell Leo, but he couldn’t face Nico either. What if he’d hurt him? What if Nico would have to think about his mother, think about the trauma Zeus had caused. And Jason couldn’t even really play the ‘but my dad isn’t Zeus, he’s Jupiter’-card, because that was just a really stupid excuse. It had been his father who did that to the Di Angelos and nothing would change that.

“I think I’m going to train a bit.”

Leo waved him off a little peeved. “You do that. _Get your head in the game_.”

Jason looked at his best friend bewildered. Did he just really…? Leo nodded at him, grinning and both laughed. Count on Leo Valdez, to get a smile out of Jason, when he’s down.

Jason patted his friend on the shoulder before leaving for the arena with a bittersweet smile. He tried his hardest not to look to his table, where Nico was still sitting, his head buried in his arms. It hurt. It hurt to look and it hurt to ignore him. Still Jason walked on as if he hadn’t noticed anything.

Some kids were already using the arena when Jason finally made it there. Their feet blew up dust and their weapons filled the air, swishing and clanging. Jason warmed up quickly, just wanting to get his head cleared, all those thoughts, their noise in his head to stop for just a little while. Maybe if he could calm down, not think for some time, maybe then he could sort his mind out and finally face Nico again. But for now he couldn’t. For now he needed the challenging glare Clarisse shot him and for now he just wanted to forget about Nico. It was selfish, but it was what he needed.

-

Being irritable wasn’t unusual for Nico. He was often on edge, but mostly it had a better reason than him being a big baby. He sighed and reached back, his arm behind his head and a smooth pebble in his hand, just waiting to be released. With a practised move, Nico threw the stone over the water; it skipped a few times before sinking into the ocean. For once, Nico was happy Hazel wasn’t with him, she would have worried too much over this insignificant problem. He just needed to give Jason space, give him time to sort out whatever needed sorting out. But Nico didn’t like it. He was impatient and he had waited for quite some time already. He had been gone for so long and right now he just wanted to finally come home. Camp Half-Blood didn’t feel like home; it was Jason, Jason was his home.

Nico crouched down in the sand, hugging his knees close to his chest. He hadn’t eaten anything. He felt sick. Groaning, Nico pressed his face to his legs, wanting nothing more than a little bit of attention; a hug, something like that. He could really need a hug now. Yes, a hug sounded great. Maybe Jason could need a hug too, everyone who had a problem could do with a hug, right? He wouldn’t be annoyed when Nico came to him for a little bit of physical contact, right?

Nico’s stomach hurt and he felt cranky and he definitely wanted that hug now. Standing up, he dusted his jeans off and turned to look for Jason determined. It shouldn’t be that hard to find the other; Jason was usually either training or sitting on the steps of his cabin. He really needed a hobby, but that was a problem for another day.

A quick look around the camp left Nico with only one direction: the arena.

Jason was facing off against Clarisse la Rue; she was great, whoever denied that was stupid in Nico’s opinion – but so was Jason. Their fight was excellent, neither giving in, weapons slashing close to flesh, but never being allowed closer.

Clarisse noticed Nico first, being the one facing his direction, then Jason turned, seeing her attention diverted by something behind him, but his body never relaxed, even when recognition showed in his eyes. Nico scowled. “Hey Jason.”

“Oh, sorry, I’m a little busy right now.”

Nico crossed his arms. Clarisse wasn’t going to attack him from behind; Jason should have at least a few minutes to greet him. That was just rude and Nico wasn’t in the mood for rude. Jason wasn’t even looking at him, he’d turned back to Clarisse, his sword raised again, gesturing her to go on. She looked confused, looked to Nico, but even before she could ask anything, Jason had dashed forward, forcing her to curse loudly and defend herself from his frantic blows. His strikes were a lot clumsier than before, lacking the usual style and precision.

“What the…? Jason, what is this?” Nico almost screamed. He stepped forward, his arms in front of him, gesturing widely. The other campers were staring now, but Nico had other problems to think of at the moment. Anger had bubbled up inside his chest, his stomach flipping and he wasn’t sure he could keep his composure longer.

Jason roared and Clarisse was driven back. She stumbled and fell, but Jason wasn’t paying her any attention, he’d thrown his sword to the ground, spinning around, his face contorted like a mad man. Nico instinctively drew up his hands in defence, eyes wide and a cold lump forming in his throat. He was regretting his outburst already, panic seizing him instead. He had angered Jason this much; he couldn’t afford to lose him. Blinking to keep away the tears, his eyes followed the other when Jason stormed off. It was all Nico could do, not to break down right here, right in front of all the other campers.

This couldn’t happen. Not like this. Nico balled his fists, leaving the arena with his head down, ignoring the others. He grit his teeth. Jason could be angry with him all he wanted, but Nico wouldn’t take treatment this cruel without knowing the reason. Nico liked him, Jason was his home, but that didn’t mean Jason could do anything he wanted and Nico would just comply. Nico wasn’t that weak. Whatever problem the older had was no excuse to avoid him, to run away and ignore him.

Nico cloaked himself in shadows. He always felt better in the dark. Leaning against the wall of his own cabin, he took a few deliberate breaths. He needed to calm down, calm his stomach down and get his composure back. He was shaking, but he wouldn’t get any calmer anyway, he needed to confront Jason, and no matter how justified his action was, he feared the risk he was taking.

But he trusted Jason, he needed to trust him now more than anything.

With heavy steps and the hope not to enter an empty cabin, Nico took the steps towards the golden doors. Inside, thunder rumbled and Jason lay on his bed, curled up and looking absolute miserably. Nico’s resolve threatened to crumble, but he steeled himself, determined to go through with this. For both their sakes.

He let the shadows dissolve, settling down in front of Jason’s cot, his legs crossed.

“So, what was that just now, Jason? What’s your problem?”

Jason jerked. He’d been aware of Nico’s presence, but he’d obviously tried to ignore him, but now that Nico broke the silence, now that he asked the question, it was his turn to react.

“Did I do something wrong?” Nico’s voice was small, fearing the answer to that particular question more than the one to his first.

Jason’s eyes widened. “No!” He sat up quickly, brows furrowed. Nico was thinking he’d done something bad; it was making Jason regret his cowardice. He hadn’t wanted to hurt Nico, to make him feel insecure. “No,” he repeated. “You’ve done nothing wrong.”  
“Than what is it?” Desperation was clear in his voice when Nico crouched forward, his hands crawling over the floor, longing to reach out, but not yet daring to.

Jason sighed heavily. No matter what he was doing, he hurt Nico. Sliding off the bed, he shifted closer, trying to get on to his eye-level. “I… was asking Hazel about your age,” he started.

Nico tilted his head, obviously confused what his age had to do with anything, but he didn’t dare to interrupt now that he finally got Jason talking. “She said you were… eighty something?”

Nico flinched and looked away, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He didn’t like to think like that, he didn’t like to think of all the years he’d stayed at the Lotus Hotel with Bianca; it hurt too much. It hurt because he would never get that time back and he would always regret not appreciating the time with her more. His stomach turned and he swallowed hard, but the cold had infested his body like a pest.

Jason watched him, hesitating, looking so insecure. Finally Nico nodded, gesturing for him to go on.

“She told me about the Hotel. About why you were there,” Jason’s voice broke at the end of the sentence and Nico became aware of the tears he was desperately trying to keep from spilling. Jason wasn’t looking at him either. “I-I’m sorry.”

All thoughts that had crammed up Nico’s mind until now suddenly stopped. His mother. Jason was talking about his _mother_. A hand clamped on his mouth and he bend over retching. His stomach did somersaults now, cold sweat running down his back. He couldn’t actually remember what had happened, he didn’t get flashbacks from the hotel being destroyed, but he did have a clear enough memory of he feeling, the sheer agony he’d felt.

“Nico!” Jason launched forward, his hands only inches away from instinctively grabbing Nico’s shoulders, but he stopped them, knowing Nico wouldn’t appreciate this intrusion into his personal space right now. “Nico, Nico, I’m sorry, I was being stupid. I didn’t know how to – I – please say something, Nico!”

Breathing. Breathing had always helped Nico to calm down. It was easy. Everyone could breathe, and it reminded him that he was still alive, his body still needing the oxygen. He didn’t have to think about anything, only concentrating on breathing.

One hand on his mouth, the other clamped in the gruesome, orange shirt over his heart, Nico finally gathered his wits again, looking Jason in the eye, his words registering slowly.

So Jason had learned about his mother’s death. No, this wasn’t everything. Jason wouldn’t avoid him, he’d rather try to comfort him, were it just that. Nico blinked. “You… feel responsible?” he asked incredulous. Jason looked away, rubbing his neck like he registered just now how stupid that sounded.

“You weren’t even born at that time.” Nico frowned. The cold concentrating now in his stomach, and he was sure, had he eaten anything before, he’d be vomiting right now. But like this, he only coughed, retching, his hand clutching his sore throat. Still his mind was able to put two and two together, observing Jason through watering eyes. He almost laughed.

“I’m sorry.” Jason looked at him, not knowing what to do. His hands were fidgeting, but this time, his gaze was fixed on Nico, showing comprehension. The state Nico was in wasn’t pretty, but he wouldn’t blame Jason. Jason was stupid for thinking he’d have to take responsibility for everything related to his father and Nico really wanted nothing more than to beat that fact into his mulish head.

“Jason, you didn’t do anything!”

“I thought it would hurt you, seeing me, remind you of the murderer-”

“Not a word!” Nico squeezed his eyes shut. His stomach cramped now. Great. This was annoying him, distracting him from the important thing right now. “You run away, Jason. You avoid me. _That’s_ what hurts.”

“I-I’m sorry.”

“You better be,” Nico growled, crawling forward, closer to Jason. He really didn’t want to deal with this any more. He just wanted to come home, to be assured he still _had_ a home to come back to.

Jason blinked, and finally, _finally_ it dawned on him Nico didn’t feel like he’d feared. Nico didn’t think of him as the son of his mother’s murderer, he thought of him as Jason, his friend. A friend he wanted and needed and had expected to welcome him home the whole day. Jason reached out with open arms and Nico got his hug at last.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> Feel free to comment and/or criticize <3


End file.
